15 Biggest NBA Draft Busts Of All-time

Darko Miličić

Getty Images

ADVERTISEMENT

Darko Miličić is almost single-handedly responsible for killing the infatuation of NBA Teams with selecting raw-but-talented players from Europe. Taken one spot behind LeBron James, and ahead of Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwayne Wade, Miličić spending most of his first three seasons on the bench, and in the dog house of head coach Larry Brown. While Miličić blamed his lack of playing time as the biggest reason for his failure in the NBA, plenty of people around the team believed he was more interested in the NBA lifestyle, versus becoming an NBA star. Miličić bounced around five more teams in the NBA, before heading back to Europe.

Joe Barry Carroll (#1 1980) belongs on this list. Golden State traded C Robert Parish and a first round draft pick to Boston for the #1 pick of the 1980 draft. Boston used that pick to draft Kevin McHale. Parish was said to be too soft for a 7′ center – he didn’t rebound enough. With McHale and Larry Bird around him, Parish didn’t have to be an enforcer. The Celtics went to four straight NBA Finals (1984-87) and won two rings. Carroll was even softer than Parish, rarely rebounding. He played apathetically – his nickname “Joe Barely Cares” was well-earned. Teammates sometimes yelled at Carroll to get out of their way. In 1984, Carroll demanded a new contract and left for a year to play in Europe after Golden State refused. Incredibly, the Warriors took him back.